I:6 Anti-dumping - Society for Irish Latin American Studies

The school was christened Saint Ciaran’s, in honour of the Irish patron saint of students, who founded
Clonmacnoise abbey -renowned centre of learning- in the sixth century. Classes commenced on March 1,
1933 with the presence of 6 teachers and 35 pupils.
Saint Ciaran’s was attended by boarders, day pupils and half-boarders. Some girls were incorporated, but
were kept in separate classes. They all had access to football fields, tennis and basketball courts, a vegetable
garden and a private chapel. [55]
The staff was highly qualified: professor Weston came from the University of Cambridge, while professor
Morris had studied at Oxford and London. Qualified national teachers were in charge of Mathematics,
Sciences and Celtic. [56] Despite being a bilingual school, where most of the students did not speak
Spanish as their mother tongue, this did not imply the duplication of subjects, since Healy understood this
would not be beneficial.
Five years after its inauguration, Saint Ciaran’s announced its incorporation to National School Nº 8
“Julio A. Roca”. The kindergarten had just been inaugurated and a sports field had been acquired. Two
modern school buses provided “safe transportation from any address in the Federal Capital” [57] . The six
original teachers were now fifteen. The 102 primary students who had sat for the national exams had
achieved a high average.
By 1943, professor Healy could announce that the spectacular increase in student matriculations -they
were already 170- “was no spontaneous development, but the result of ceaseless labour, combined with
scrupulous attention to all details of scholastic improvements, trusting more in progressive results and the
cooperation of contented parents, than in flamboyant propaganda.” [58] .
School Life
Up to the 1960s, the schools of the Irish-Argentine community accepted boarders. Girls and boys came
from all over the province of Buenos Aires to the Mercy, Pallotine, Passionist and other schools which we
have already described. We will glimpse at their lives far from home, by taking as a model the daily routine
imposed by the Sisters of Mercy in their schools, and describe the life of their students in the 1920s and
30s. [59]
They woke up at 6 am. After listening to mass (on Sundays and religious feasts) and taking breakfast, girls
would comply with the tasks assigned by the Sisters (laundry, cleaning, cooking). The rest of the morning
was dedicated to Spanish lessons. It was compulsory for all schools to comply with the official programme
and for the students to sit for the exams of the National Education Council in November. Local staff was
in charge of this important area in the curriculum.
The afternoons were devoted to English lessons, which were in charge of the Sisters. Subjects included,
besides Grammar and Literature, History (including Irish history), Geography, Biology, Maths, Religion,
etc. The students sat for the exams of the local English Cultural Association and for the Cambridge exams.
At 3 o’clock they would have tea, a short break and then study hours. After dinner and prayers they went
off to bed, at about 8 pm.
The boarders were allowed to receive visitors on Sundays and holidays. If they behaved properly, they
were allowed to turn on the radio and improvise small dances. Outings were mostly related to religious
occasions, such as Easter, Corpus Christi or Saint Patrick’s, which was celebrated by the pupils of the
schools located in Buenos Aires at Holy Cross church along with the rest of the community. The International
Eucharistical Congress of 1934 was a well-remembered event, since it involved incessant activities.
In all of the Irish-Argentine schools, many hours were spent in activities that exceeded books. Following
the principle of “mens sana in corpore sano” sports were widely practiced: tennis, hockey and netball by the
girls, football and basketball by the boys.
While the American Passionist Brothers taught their pupils to play baseball, the Pallotines relied on hurling
to stress the loyalty of their pupils to Ireland, and the Christian Brothers on rugby to promote a team
spirit. In keeping with the militarisation of Argentine society in the 1930s, boys started to receive drills
from military officers. On a more original note, there were swimming lessons for the girls at Michael Ham
which took place in the River Plate!
Furthermore, well-educated girls had to have other accomplishments: they were taught to sew and
embroider, French, manners, piano and singing; in some cases, they also performed Irish dances. In the
María José Roger, The Children of the Diaspora .................................................................................. 13